Liar, liar, e-Bikes on fire

Ahead of her presentation with Stephen Coulter at the upcoming iMOVE National R&D Conference 2024, Krystyna Weston of Zipidi has published an article, Building Trust in the e-Mobility Industry: The cost of doing nothing is great, covering the very area on which the duo will speak.

The article opens with this:

The e-mobility industry is at a critical crossroad. What should be a shining example of technological advancement and sustainable transport is instead being marred by growing distrust. Consumers and regulators are questioning e-mobility devices’ safety, and the public perception of our sector has suffered. Fires and headline-grabbing perceived safety failures have all contributed to a toxic environment where e-mobility is viewed with suspicion. Entire cities and buildings have banned these devices, seeing them not as part of the solution but as the “problem child” of modern transportation.

Moral Panic has set in and is being amplified by media and naysayers.

Krystyna then goes on to discuss a few of the things that need to be done make e-micromobiliy safer, such as independent verification, third-party testing, audited certifications, and fraud-proof smart connected labels and digital product passports.

The article has been published on Krytyna’s LinkedIn profile, and accessed via the following link: Building Trust in the e-Mobility Industry: The cost of doing nothing is great

Liar, liar, e-Bikes on fire

The catchy title of Krystyna and Stephen’s conference talk is Liar, liar, e-Bikes on fire. It’s part of a session on Day 1 of the conference, EVs are not just cars – how e-micromobility is changing the way we move and how we can leverage this to speed up decarbonisation.

The description of their presentation is:

Technology has once again outpaced regulation. Over the past few years, hundreds of thousands of e-bikes, e-scooters, and other e-devices have been purchased across Australia. While many of these products are of high quality and come from reputable manufacturers and importers, the market has also attracted unscrupulous players who have imported cheap and unsafe products. Lithium-ion battery fires are one alarming consequence of this issue.

As a result, many regulators and private entities have responded by banning these innovative forms of transport in buildings, universities, apartment complexes, and transport hubs. However, outright bans may not be the best solution. In Liar Liar eBikes on Fire, we explore the policy, technology, and communication strategies that can deliver safe community outcomes without resorting to these drastic measures.

Other  topics and speakers in this micromobility session are:

• Supercharging Micromobility – Al Reid, CEO microFleet (inventor and manufacturer of OneDock universal e-micromobility charging stations)
• E-scooters – new regulatory and design approaches to improve safety – Joel Tucker, Road Safety and Technical Manager at RACQ

About iMOVE National R&D Conference 2024

During nearly seven years of operation as a transport R&D centre we have had the privilege of working with over 60 organisations across Australia in 230+ projects to advance transport in all its forms.

Momentum with achieving transport outcomes such as decarbonisation, inclusivity, safety and more – continues to grow! We are pleased once again to be supporting this continuing transport evolution through our next iteration of the iMOVE National R&D Conference.

After successful events in Melbourne (2019) and Sydney (2022), this time we are heading to Brisbane. Once again, we will bring together our partners and wider transport R&D community from across Australia to learn from each other and progress ideas for another wave of projects and initiatives.

This year’s event will feature our usual blend of industry, government and academic perspectives on the hot topics that are preoccupying our community today, along with ample time for networking and informal discussions.

It’s an inclusive, friendly environment for idea and knowledge sharing in keeping with our general philosophy on effective collaboration, and we would love to see you and your team there!